News feed

Survive the heat

17th of December 2018

As summer brings some extremely hot weather, be prepared. During extreme heat it is easy to become dehydrated or for your body to overheat. If this happens, you may develop heat cramps, heat exhaustion or even heatstroke. Heatstroke is a medical emergency which can result in permanent damage to your vital organs, or even death, if not treated immediately.

Extreme heat can also make existing medical conditions worse. Extreme heat can affect anybody, however, the people most at risk:

are aged over 65 years, especially those living alone

have a medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease or mental illness

are taking medications that may affect the way the body reacts to heat such as:

allergy medicines (antihistamines)

blood pressure and heart medicines (betablockers)

seizure medicines (anticonvulsants)

water pills (diuretics)

antidepressants or antipsychotics.

Strategies for coping with the heat include:

drinking plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty (if your doctor normally limits your fluids, check how much to drink during hot weather)